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Boston Marathon Explosion – Terrorist Attack, Patriots Day 4/15/13

Two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon near the finish line, causing multiple casualties and sending the city into chaos. Another explosion occurred at the JFK Library, but authorities were unsure if the incidents were linked.

The blasts downtown in Copley Square occurred just before 3:00 p.m.

The number of casualties changed rapidly throughout the afternoon. Two people were killed and more than 130 others were injured, according to a preliminary statement from the Boston Police Department. The number rose to more than 100 injured shortly after 5 p.m. and kept growing as the day progressed, the Boston Globe reported.

The first blast filled a spectator gallery near the finish line with a gray cloud of smoke. Screaming witnesses immediately fled the area. Ten seconds later, a second explosion jolted the crowd.

Streets reserved exclusively for runners filled with emergency crews, as first responders climbed fences to reach wounded athletes and spectators. Flags from nations represented in the race were thrown to the ground.

Here we go again, another attack, another name for it is ‘Black Flag’ or ‘ruse de guerre’ (ruse of war) ~ a technique of deception, under the circumstances, the very nature of this attack implies there is another agenda at work.

The timing, place of this attack + choice of explosive points to a domestic group (USA), which again, could be another ‘black flag’. In the final analysis, the ‘who’ becomes less important then the long term damage, which will be our civil liberties.

Having worn the ‘tin foil hat’ on many occasions, I can certainly identify with the impulse to look for a simple answer in order to make things black + white, therefore easier to process and accept, but the answer is often complex, and not made clear, which is the goal. There are many forces at work in this world that use media as a tool and a weapon, and acts of terror depend on media to serve the primary agenda, whatever that might be.

Terrorism, like Propaganda, is a form of persuasive communication. Like propaganda, it is a pejorative term. Some have referred to it as propaganda of the deed. It is hard to define because its definition depends on whether one agrees with the message. If one does, neither propaganda nor terrorism is the term that is normally used to describe such activity.